Cyclist

Age 55. Heavier than I've ever been, 198 pounds (90 kg). Experienced bicycle tourist but not a gifted athlete. This is my 38th self-supported bike tour!

I quit camping in 2014. This is my 5th all-motels bike tour. I save weight by not carrying camping gear but have offset that by adding body weight.

Bike

2007 Bacchetta Giro 20 short wheelbase recumbent with a Terracycle underseat rack and Arkel RT-40 panniers.

Bacchetta Euro-Mesh seat with a Ventisit seat pad from the Netherlands. This airy seat pad gives the seat better ventilation than a conventional foam pad and it doesn't hold water when rained on.

Wheels hand-built by me with Shimano SLX hubs, butted spokes (36 rear, 32 front), and Velocity Aeroheat rims. Tires are 40mm wide Schwalbe Marathons.

Custom lowest-possible gearing with 24-39-48 tooth chainrings and 9-speed 11-34 tooth cassette. In the lowest gear I pedal 70 RPM at 3.5 mph.

VDO MC 1.0 wired cyclocomputer which displays elevation and percent grade.

Crank Brothers pedals mate with Keen SPD sandals.

Four bottle cages. Two factory-installed mounts behind the seat, plus two mounts on the front of the bike installed by me. For this desert tour I also carried two 1-liter Platypus bladders.

Heart

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Comment

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Link

Steve Miller/GrampiesDodie says she thinks you look just fine. Nice bike too.
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3 years ago

Wayne EstesThanks for the kind words. I'm 15 pounds (7 kg) lighter now.
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3 years ago

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